Playwright and actress Leslie Dillen returns to Gloucester to present her new play, "India for the Tuesday Study Club," at The West End Theater today and next weekend.
As always, the play is based on Dillen's experiences. It features Winifred Logan Lightfoot, who travels to India to meet the Sikh family of her stepdaughter's fiance and attend the engagement party. Along on the 12-day trip are her husband and his ex-wife and her family. Lightfoot grapples with a new culture, an old enemy, and the power of love.
Dillen, formerly of Gloucester and now a resident of Cambridge, has appeared in theater, television, and film. Her plays include several solo shows, including "Me & George," based on her experiences as a stand-in during the filming of "The Perfect Storm" in Gloucester. She also teaches acting and playwriting.
Performances are today at 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. Call 978-281-0680 or visit thewestendtheater.com.
PUPPET PAGEANT AND MORE: Theater in the Open presents "The Rites of Spring" at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport next weekend.
The outdoor event includes a giant puppet pageant with singing and dancing. Visitors can listen to a story, make a magic wand, or play theater games.
The show is for all ages, and families are encouraged to bring a blanket and spend the afternoon enjoying art and nature.
Performances begin at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the field across from the parking lot at the park on Curzon Mill Road. Admission is $5. Proceeds benefit Theater in the Open. Rain dates are May 17 and 18.
Call 978-465-2572 or visit theaterintheopen.org.
FOLK FINALIST: Singer-songwriter Susan Levine of Newburyport has been selected as a new folk finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, Texas.
Selected from 800 entries worldwide, Levine is one of 32 new artists scheduled to perform at the festival Memorial Day weekend.
Founded in 1972, the festival's aim is to promote emerging artists. Performers such as Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Lucinda Williams played at Kerrville early in their careers.
Levine's debut CD, "Scatter Me," was released in 2001. Her second album, "Atlas," was produced by Thomas Eaton Recording in Newburyport and recently released.
Visit susanjlevine.com or riverwiderecords.com.
AUTHOR'S CORNER: Scottish-born author Margot Livesey reads from her latest novel, "The House on Fortune Street," at Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport at 7 p.m. Friday. The book is a detective story featuring a young London therapist. Livesey is a writer-in-residence at Emerson College in Boston. . . . Louise Erdrich presents her new work of fiction, "The Plague of Doves," at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, N.H., at 7 p.m. May 14 as part of the Writers on a New England Stage series. Erdrich will read from her book and discuss her career as a novelist, including the books "Love Medicine" and "The Beet Queen."
IN LOCAL GALLERIES: "Working Artists," an exhibit of works by 10 Beverly public school art teachers, is at Mingo Gallery in Beverly through May 31. The show includes acrylics, watercolors, pen and ink, photography, sculpture, pottery, monotypes, and collage. Styles include realistic and abstract. The artists are Paula Borsetti, Sheila Billings, Martha Chapman, Laraine Cicchetti, Betsy Desmond, Debra Graczyk, Gretchen Kiessling, Bobby Kramer, Maureen Lally, and Scott Wassell. . . . "Nature's Colors," an exhibit of paintings by Ashley Fletcher of Swampscott, is at New Civilitea in Salem through June 11. Fletcher graduated from Wheaton College in 2001 with a degree in studio art and art history. . . . Bridge Gallery in Newburyport presents "A Symphony of Colors" by Danielle Gauthier McCarthy through May 31. A reception with the artist will be held 6-8 p.m. Friday. The window exhibit at Bridge Gallery for May is "Plum Island Revisited," featuring paintings of local beach scenes.
Items can be sent to wdkilleen@gmail.com. Photos can be sent as jpeg attachments to globenorth@ globe.com.
